Anna Maxwell Martin has quietly become the queen of British TV

Anna Maxwell Martin is criminally underrated.

The 47-year-old first landed into the public consciousness in Line of Duty – one of the nation’s favourite cop dramas – and ever since she’s quietly become one of the most versatile, multi-faceted British actors of our time.

But while Vicky McClure was hoisted into the upper echelons of UK stardom, along with Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar from their Line of Duty roles, Anna found a flicker of that same fame, even though she outshone them all.

While her co-stars were waving to the world, she was moving quietly backstage, having been duly noted for her brilliantly composed portrayal of no-nonsense DCS Patricia Carmichael, but without any glitzy fuss.

That all changed when Anna burst through the door on Netflix in Motherland, where she played the polar opposite to her Line of Duty role.

In the beloved sitcom about the chaos of motherhood, Anna plays Julia, who is usually running around, clutching at her hair on the verge of break down and trying to catch up with her feet as she navigates the mummy-sphere.

Meanwhile, she also stars alongside David Mitchell in detective comedy drama Ludwig – which in a similar trajectory to Anna has modestly evolved into a UK phenomenon: with 9.5million viewers it’s become the BBC’s biggest new scripted show since 2022.

While Ludwig is surprisingly widely watched, Motherland will always be synonymous with Anna.

Fans who weren’t aware of Anna’s Line of Duty role likely wouldn’t be able to imagine her in a serious role after her deft, flappy-armed comedy performance, for which she was nominated for a BAFTA. But they were proved wrong.

Off she went again in the new ITV drama Until I Kill You. Many fans have taken to social media to rave about her performance as the best of her career in the harrowing drama based on a true story, about a woman who meets a killer in a pub and escapes with her life.

‘Oh my god, just watched pt 1 and half way through pt. 2 tears in my eyes and shouting at the TV,’ began one viewer @HonestJ13162013, adding: ‘Anna Maxwell Martin MUST GET AN AWARD FOR THIS. Best TV drama IN YEARS, and on ITV? Taking a deep breath before going back to it.’

@rosaisamum said: ‘What an underrated actress Anna Maxwell Martin is .. fantastic performance.’

‘I have just finished this. Anna Maxwell Martin & Shaun Evans are amazing in it. Best thing I’ve watched in ages,’ added @CONGOH.

‘Watched the first few episodes of Until I Kill You last night. I love Anna Maxwell Martin in everything she does but WOW her acting skills in this are phenomenal. Based on true life, it is difficult to think it was only the early 90’s and how the victim was failed by the police,’ added @MorleyLass92.

Perhaps it’s time to turn Anna Maxwell Martin from the most underrated British actress of 2024 into the most widely appreciated: her versatility is unmatched and fanbase growing at the speed of her arms in Motherland.

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